The Abused Atheist

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I would like to write a biography about people who are non-believers who were abused in some way by believers, and the like. Please join if you're interested, and I would also like to talk with anyone privately who has anything to add.

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I wrote the following about nine years ago, when I was barely on the leading edge of finally taking full and total possession of my life. I was 52 years of age at the time, and yeah, that's a while…Continue

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I can't remember a time in my life when I wasn't an atheist, but I think I started calling myself an atheist when I was 8 years old because that's when I discovered the word. That's also when I had my first major anti-atheist horror experience, in the library with a study group at school (public school). I told a friend that I didn't believe in god and the librarian overheard me, ran over to my group, and started screaming at me: "How can you not believe in god? Who made the earth? Who made the sun?" And of course, my classmates answered "god" unanimously. I didn't know what to do except sit there quietly and say that I just didn't believe. Really not sure how that stupid crazy librarian thought she'd change my mind by screaming at me and embarrassing me. :-/

Does anyone else find it exhausting to defend disbelief? I have some "fundy" friends on Fb and they are constantly asking me to prove my conviction. I do and they counter with bible quotes- one unfriended me because I became irritated and wrote: Using bible quotes to prove your position is like bringing a hockey stick to a baseball game"
Any strategies that have been useful?

My name is Rob and I am a theist survivor. My family chose to damage me with a southern baptist rearing. I have recently been "outed" to my family as an atheist and you would have thought that I was a serial killer. "Are you a devil worshiper?" They asked. "I don't believe there is god so I also don't believe there is a devil." Somehow this was even more appalling then my disbelief in god.
I can remember feeling this way, atheist tendencies that is, as far back as early childhood.

This is copied from my profile, but I think it tells my story for this Group

About Me
I am a bedraggled refugee from the "Holy" Roman Catholic Church. Like thevast majority of members of that sirdid organization I was born into a strict Roman Catholic famoly, baptized when a baby, and from that moment dragged kicking and screaming to Mass every Sunday and suffered 12 years under the Jesuit Priests. I was told I have to believe OR ELSE. I was too scared to question the doctrine of the Holy Trinity which I found stupid. The Jesuits used a thick leather strap to "encourage" you to believe. I put up with religion and going to Mass for the sake of my family. Admittedly I did enjoy and organ and did learn to play the organ but avoided becoming a full time church organist.

At school I did Physics and Chemistry and taught myself Astronomy. The most painful subject was religion. Interestingly enough we did not study all the bible, just Genesis and Exodus and straight onto the New Testament. DIdn't worry me Genesis and Exodus were stupid enough. When I was about 30 I finally plucked up enough courage to make the great announcement that I had had it with religion and will now be Atheist. Fortunately my parents accepted that.

So for the last 35 years or so I have lived in peace and solitutude knowing there is no "god" up there watching everything I do and no heaven or hell to worry about. Since getting the internet I have been able to access all the information I need to research the begining of religion, especially judeo/Chrristianity. It is quite obvious that it began with Egyptology and the Babylonian myths. It all started to make sense. I decided to buy a bible to read the rest of the Old Testament to see what all the bullshit is all about. I got the NIV Study Bible because I know it had a lot of comments and references. Many comments pointed to mistranslations in the bible and so many contradictions. I now know why the Roman Catholic Church steers clear of the OT: all the genocidal slaughter inflicted by the Hebrews on their alleged enemies on the orders of "The Lord their God". I got so sick of that I had the greatest pleasure in tearing up that bible.
I know enough to argue Christ out of any Christian. I met the local Church Minister, a nice chap even when I told him I am Atheist. He did not really kow that much about Christianity: I suppose enough to get away with being a minister and drawing his stipend.

My patron saint is "His Holiness" Dave Allen, the late Irish commedian who used to take the mickey out of the Chuch. He did claim he was paid by the Vatican, the No. 2 account